Rais Yatim: A Political Chameleon

Rais Yatim on the ISA, in 1995, when he was in the political wilderness :

“The ISA does NOT speak well for the future of the rule of law in Malaysia.

In fact, it is the main adversary of the rule of law.

The abolition of the ISA is imperative.”

Rais on the ISA in 2009, as Minister of Information and long out of the political wilderness, in an interview on BBC’s Hardtalk :

“The mechanism that we have under the ISA, specifically Section 8 and 73, can be challenged through the process of habeas corpus, which system is also prevalent here, and therefore, to SAY that the ISA is NOT up to the standard of humanity is WRONG.”